In Helmand’s Kajaki district, most schools remain closed

LASHKARGHA (Pajhwok): Five out of 18 schools are open and the rest shut due to insecurity in the Kajaki district of southern Helmand province, official says. Of every 18 schools, only one has its own building.

Only the district center’s Tangi locality is under government control while the remaining areas have been under Taliban’s sway for several years.

Nasir Khan, a district education official, told Pajhwok Afghan News the building for only one school had been constructed 40 years ago. And that too has been destroyed in civil war.

He said: “Six classrooms of the school were rebuilt in the previous government. Nothing else has been done in terms of reconstruction.”

Khan added the district had 18 schools, with five open to students and the rest closed due to instability. As a result, he lamented, thousands of boys and girls had been deprived of education.

Four schools of the five schools open were operating in mosques or rented houses, he said, adding around 1,800 students, including girls, were studying there.

“There are many problems we are faced with, such as a shortage of professional teachers and issues in the area of supervision,” the official continued.

The reconstruction of one school, where around 300 students were enrolled, got under way launched two days ago, Khan informed.

On the other hand, Helmand Education Director Dawood Shah Safari confirmed \it was the first time that a school building was being constructed in Kajahki district.

The project would cost 25 million afghanis provided by the Ministry of Urban Development, he said. Efforts were underway to reopen schools in Taliban-controlled areas, he explained.

“I’m going to stop salaries of voluntary teachers in Lashkargah and send the money to the district to resolve education-related problems there to some extent,” the director announced

Student Noor Mohammad complained both teachers and pupil spent their time trading each other stories. The teaching quality was almost zero, he claimed.

“There are no lessons. Textbooks and other resources are yet to be delivered. On this district, most of youth are uneducated,” Mohammad added.

Mahboob, another student, said most of time teachers stayed away from classes. “I don’t know about the areas that are under Taliban control. Most of our teachers are working on a contractual basis.

“They have just filled vacancies. They are not professional and remain absent,” the student alleged, urging government officials to pay attention to the issue.

A number of others students held similar views. Nasar Khan, one of them, endorsed the allegations and said he had already shared the issue with the authorities concerned.

Khan said he had talked to the Taliban to shun opposition to education in the district. The talks have yielded a measure of progress, according to him.

Governor Mohammad Yaseen Khan told Pajhwok measures were being taken to resolve education-related problems in the district.

“Construction work is underway on a school building and the remaining problem will also be addressed gradually.”